Hot Weather Riding Tips & Info

[BuddhaBuell]

I figured I would share this valuable article with my fellow Buellers...

The past few weeks have been perfect for riding, but they have also been quite hot. I thought it would be a good idea to write about riding in very hot weather. Below are some fascinating facts about how the body works when presented with exposure to hot weather, particularly on a motorcycle for extended periods of time. These are suggestions as to what to do about it and early danger signs to look for when things are not going right.

Please read through this, enjoy.

[BuddhaBuell]

RIDING IN HOT WEATHER

Hot weather riding is something that most motorcyclists face at some point during the season.

All hot weather motorcycle riding is not created equal. There is hot weather riding and then there is HOT WEATHER riding for prolonged periods. The former can be represent a mild inconvenience, while the latter can potentially be deadly.

Hot weather motorcycle riding for long periods of time ranks right up there with other extreme sport activities. It is a brutal assault.

We are in a battle to stave off body heating. Being able to manage this heat up-take consistently during a multi day tour requires having a plan. It means that we have to get ourselves together and come up with something completely workable and effective.

This plan means that we must look at everything that affects our performance in the heat and determine ways to increase our performance.

In order to have an effective plan, I think it is first important to understand what it is we are facing when it comes to the enemy. Read on and learn about all the different aspects of heat when riding.


There are many tactics effective to use when riding in hot weather.

This section gives some good ideas meant to foster thinking about effective tactics to use for hot weather riding. It represents approaches effective when dealing with mid-summer heat. Though these concepts relate to prolonged riding in the hot weather, many also apply to shorter rides in the heat.

I think you will find this information very helpful and interesting no matter how long you are going to be out in the sun riding your scoot.


Hot weather riding tips

Heat Transfer
Heat is always being transferred from warm to cool. We can transfer heat to the environment OR we can absorb heat from the environment. But either way, there will be a transfer.

Heat production and heat loss

We have two different types of body temperature. Body core and skin temperature. Our body generates heat and strives to maintain a core temperature of approximately 98.6 F. Although this is not a precise figure, we can only deviate from it very slightly. Even 2 degrees over or under 98.6 makes a huge difference in our well being. Our skin temperature will generally range from 91 to 93F .

Our body is always generating heat. It uses what it needs to maintain our normal core temperature and gives off the rest of the heat to the atmosphere. This means that we are constantly giving off heat in various ways.

Our skin radiates heat . We also lose heat with each breath we exhale.

In normal outside temperatures of up to approximately 68-70F, this is enough for us to maintain normal body temperature.

If our body temperature rises too quickly (ie. exertion or exercise) or if the heat index is too high, this method of heat loss is often not enough. Our sweat glands kick in and our main method of body cooling then depends on evaporation of sweat.

As the sweat evaporates, it takes heat away with it. This cools the skin which in turn cools the blood circulating near the surface. The cooled blood returns to the core and muscles, cooling them.

The mesh paradox

In very hot and dry temperatures, say over 100F, your body absorbs the heat from the air (convection) as well as from the sun (radiation). The higher the airflow, ie. the higher your speed, the greater this effect. Remember that heat is always flowing from warmer to cooler. If your body is warmer than the surrounding air, it gives off heat. If it is cooler, it absorbs heat.

The dilated blood vessels that were meant to carry heat to your skin now absorb heat from the hot air and carry it back to your core. Though there is evaporative cooling going on, you are absorbing more heat by convection than you are losing by evaporation. In fact, sweat probably evaporates too quickly and becomes insensitive sweat.

So it’s like a simple equation:

Convection heating adds a certain number of heat units.

Evaporative cooling removes a certain number of heat units.

As long as you are removing more heat units than you are adding, you’re ahead of the game. But at highway speed with a temperature of 110F of dry heat, you are absorbing more heat units by convection than your are losing by evaporative cooling. This is not good.

On the other hand, it may feel comfortable commuting at low speeds in the city wearing mesh because convection heating resulting from airspeed is lower and evaporative cooling has more effect. But this is only true at relatively low speeds.

At highway speeds in high heat, your body ramps up the sweat mechanism, but it cannot supply what is required. Your system comes under stress. You become at risk for heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

The thing to do is to shield yourself from the convective heat-gain while benefiting from the evaporative cooling. When deciding how much to open your vents for some evaporative cooling, remember that your goal is to limit airflow over your body to just what is needed. A little airflow goes a long way.

[BuddhaBuell]

The dreaded ground effect

It’s also imperative to insulate yourself from the heat due to ground effects and any heat given off by your motorcycle.

The ground absorbs heat and radiates it back. As you ride over a road in a temperature of 110F, the heat radiated from the road surface at the height of twenty five to thirty inches can be over 140F or more. That literally means that you are riding over an invisible layer of 140F heat! This explains why your feet may feel very hot. If you are wearing ventilated pants, ie. mesh, you will be absorbing heat by convection from the passing air as well as by heat radiation from the ground.

This temperature will heat the material on your regular riding pants as well. At these temperatures, a layer of Cordura may not be enough to insulate you. You may find yourself with heat blisters on your legs. Wearing a layer of long undergarments under your riding pants or even jeans will help insulate your from this type of burn.

Dehydration:

What it is: low levels of body water impeding proper biological functioning

Our bodies need water for 2 reasons.

1) We need an adequate amount of water and electrolytes in order for our cells, muscles, organs and systems to function properly. In fact, we are quite sensitive to decreased levels of water. Performance decreases can be noted with as little as 3% dehydration levels.

2) During hot weather riding, we also need water to allow us to produce sweat for evaporative cooling.

The main players

Water and electrolytes go hand in hand. We can think of water and electrolytes in this way.

Water is like the workers that show up at the factory on Mondaymorning looking for work. They are ready for action but need to be told where to go and what to do. Alone, they accomplish little.
Electrolytes are like the foremen and supervisors that tell the workers where to go and what to do.
A factory that has one without the other gets very little accomplished in any kind of structured order. If you want to get things done, you need to have a balanced ratio between the two groups.

So why do we need to keep drinking?

We continuously lose water throughout the day. This occurs mainly by skin evaporation, breathing, and urine. If you ride in the dry desert, you lose a significant amount of water vapor with each breath you take. If you sweat a lot, you lose more water.

We’ve all heard that the recommended minimum water intake per day is 8 glasses of water. If you sweat heavily for many hours at a time, ie. when riding through a hot day, you will need to drink considerably more in order to not become dehydrated.

Dehydration is serious. It affects vital processes in our body in many ways, one of which is a decreased ability to cool. This happens in two ways:

When you dehydrate, your body loses much of its ability to sweat for evaporative cooling.
Dehydration lowers blood volume and turns it into a thicker sludge. This thicker blood does not circulate as well and is not as effective in transferring heat.
How do you know if you’re drinking enough?

You should be urinating. Urine color should be pale. A dark color indicates a degree of dehydration. No urine indicates dehydration.

[BuddhaBuell]

Heat edema

When riding for prolonged periods in hot temperatures, you may find some temporary swelling of your extremities. This is often a sign of heat stress.

Heat edema occurs when blood vessels dilate for extended periods and allow fluids to accumulate by gravity, resulting in swelling of the hands and feet.



Heat cramps result from excessive sweating that dilutes our body’s electrolyte levels. This is aggravated by drinking copious amounts of water.

Heat cramps can be quite painful. They typically occur on the lower part of the body. If you find yourself cramping when riding in hot weather, you might consider this a sign of dehydration and low electrolyte level.

Consider getting out of the heat, if possible, and drinking a sport drink, eating a banana, taking an electrolyte capsule, drinking a V-8 juice etc. You’re looking to replace sodium and potassium at a minimum. Doing this will help replace water loss as well as provide electrolytes that will help relieve the cramping.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is serious. Heat exhaustion is a sign that the body is unable to cool itself and is losing the fight against heat.

Typically, this stage follows heat cramps. You’re hot, you sweat a lot, and in the process you dehydrate and dilute your electrolytes.

Its onset can be sudden with symptoms of fatigue or dizziness, as your body diverts blood away from the brain and to the skin in an attempt to shed excess heat. Blood also pools in the lower legs and feet. Your boots may feel unusually tight. When sitting on a motorcycle for prolonged periods, your hands may swell.

Other symptoms include a general feeling of being unwell, nausea, and heavy sweating. There may also be muscle cramping, headache and weakness. Your skin may feel cool and clammy to the touch as your circulatory system can no longer transfer heat to it.

On the other hand, your awareness may be affected so gradually that you don’t realize it. It can sneak up on you since increased body heat affects your judgement and situational awareness. Suddenly, your brain momentarily stops processing and you unexpectedly ride off the road.

The excessive fluid loss results in lower blood volume. The blood thickens and become less effective in carrying heat to the skin. This can also progress to reduced blood flow to the internal organs.

Left unchecked, it can rapidly lead to heat stroke.

Someone in this condition needs to get out of the heat, and possibly under some shade. Drink sport drinks if available in order to replace fluids and electrolytes. For more serious cases, lie down and elevate the feet. It’s imperative to determine that the person is beginning to feel better and is not progressing towards heat stroke.

Note that once you have experienced even mild heat exhaustion, you will need a day or so out of the heat in order to recover. During this time you will probably have a low tolerance for heat. Keep this in mind if you are out on a multi day ride. Once you have reached this level you’re ride is obviously sidelined.

Heatstroke
Heatstroke is a true medical emergency. It can be fatal. This condition is progressive in nature. It will not tend to get better by itself.

Heat Stroke is the result of the collapse of your body’s cooling system. Sweat stops. It generally results due to a progression from heat exhaustion, though in some cases the prior symptoms of heat exhaustion may have been absent.

Symptoms may include disorientation, unusual behavior, marked weakness. The skin is hot and dry, since sweating has stopped. The brain may begin to overheat and seizures may occur.

A person suffering from heat stroke needs emergency medical attention.

This person should be immediately placed in the shade. Their body should be wet down with cool water and fanned to aid evaporative cooling.

As a result of high body temperature, damage to body organs and brain may occur.

[BuddhaBuell]

Hydration

Our bodies are always losing water. We can drink after the loss, and play catch-up, or we can begin a ride by drinking before we start and build a reserve. The harsher the environment (heat) and the longer the ride, the more we need to have a plan for hydration.

As sports and activities go, riding in high temperatures for many hours at a time is very much an extreme activity. It requires more extreme measures. This is very different than someone who plays soccer for an hour or two and sweats a little. Being subjected to multi day temperatures of 110F or more and winds of 60mph for hours on end qualifies as an extreme activity. You need a plan.

Do you have a plan?

Drink frequently. The goal is not to gorge on water, but to replace water lost by sweat and breath.

Instead of playing catch-up with hydration, begin hydrating lightly a day or two before extended touring in hot climates, and increase the use of salty snacks.

Then, two hours or so before departure, drink from 12 to 24 oz. of water. This allows enough time for the body to fill its need for water and to dump the excess as urine. Fifteen to twenty minutes before the start, drink another 10-16 oz. This will be used to fuel initial sweat production, without dipping into the body's hydration stores.

This sequenced intake provides a base that your system can access for sustained sweating as well as system functioning. From then on, drink lightly but frequently.

The higher the rate of sweat, the more electrolytes you need. This can either be from a sport drink, a banana, or a very convenient electrolyte capsule. The benefit of an electrolyte capsule is that it travels well, and offers a preset dosage of electrolytes.

So how much can I gulp down?

Drinking smaller amounts of water often is best, ie. 8 to 12 ounces. On a motorcycle, this involves having some sort of onboard water supply that allows you to drink on the fly.

In hot weather riding, drinking large amounts every 2 hrs is nowhere near as good as drinking smaller amounts at more frequent intervals.

Gulping down significant amounts of water may actually be counter productive since there is a limit as to how much water our stomach can process at one time.

The typical maximum rate of absorption for liquid is between 25 to 30 ounces per hour.

With large gulps, much of the water may end up sitting in our stomach, as opposed to being rapidly absorbed and put to use. Water sitting in our stomach only makes us feel bloated.

Gulping larger amounts of water also implies waiting for longer intervals between drinks. During this time, our system is subjected to a yo-yo effect as we replenish and then deplete its resources with our electrolyte levels swinging from significant concentration to significant dilution.

This is because heavy and rapid water intake has a direct and quick effect on our blood volume, momentarily diluting our blood’s concentration. So we spend the day going from concentrated blood to diluted blood, back and forth, which is not ideal.

It is similar to long discharge intervals between recharges for an automotive battery. Deep discharge rates are not good for the battery. The ideal situation is to hook the battery up to an automatic charger that will give it what it needs in small doses over time. The same reasoning applies here.

How serious is this need to ensure hydration?

Consider that during high speed, hot weather riding, you can lose up to 50 ounces of water per hour or more, and yet you can only absorb a maximum of approximately 30 ounces per hour. Assuming that you are very dilligent and hydrating maximally, after 5 hours of riding in intense heat you will still be in water deficit by 100 ounces!

This underscores the importance of getting a head start by beginning to hydrate before the ride begins and then continue by drinking often. Because there is a limit to how much water we can absorb over a one hour period, you cannot make up for forgotten drink by drinking more. This is where having a plan and sticking to it takes on more meaning.

Drink after a ride, even if you find yourself in a nice air conditioned room. You may no longer need water to allow for sweating, but you want to replace the water lost since your last hydration. You also want to begin building reserves for tomorrow’s ride. Remember the plan.

Eating some salty food or snacks (unless you have high blood pressure) will be good on 2 levels. It will increase your thirst level as well as helping your body retain more of the water by replenishing your sodium (electrolyte) levels.

note: Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics. They will increase water loss through urination. Alcohol also tends to pull water from brain cells and other organs, dehydrating them. Something to consider when hydration is critical.

Summary: If you expect to be sweating for hours on end, especially on a multi day hot weather ride, drink before the need arises in order to build up reserves and take electrolytes in order to process this water optimally.

[BuddhaBuell]

Hot weather riding tips




Why adding sports nutrition and vitamin supplements is a good thing
Electrolytes are our friends. They regulate many vital processes in our body. Some of the main players are: sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate, phosphate, sulfate.

So why are they important?

Electrolytes are used by our body to ensure proper cellular functioning. They regulate water levels and play vital roles for muscle, nerve, and brain function. Basically, they make sure that the water is where it is supposed to be and doing what it is supposed to do. Remember our example about the factory workers and the supervisors?

We know that water is a critical resource for our body processes. It not only is used for body cooling but also to maintain cellular health and allow for body processes to function.

So water is only a resource that our body uses for its processes.
Electrolytes are what determine what to do with that resource.
For example, too dilute or too concentrated electrolyte levels can swell our brain cells with water or shrink them by pulling water out of the cell walls. And of course, this affects our thinking.

As with many things important to good functioning, our body monitors our electrolyte levels. Too low a level and we may get cravings. Too high a level and it dumps the excess in urine.

Speaking of cravings, if you ever enter a food mart, notice what you have a craving for. Chances are good that your body is speaking to you about what it needs.

So when do we need them?

For normal activities and sports, electrolyte levels are not a problem. Even when sweating heavily, most activities only last between 90 and 120 minutes. There isn’t enough sweat loss and water replacement to dilute our electrolyte levels beyond what is provided by a regular diet.

But motorcycle riding in hot weather for many hours provides a resource-depleting environment. Our cooling system is working at maximum capacity for a prolonged period of time. This is a very different game.

With heavy sweating, we can lose over 50 ounces per hour. This sweat is composed of body water and electrolytes. That’s why sweat tastes salty. If all we do is drink copious amounts of water, we dilute our electrolyte levels.

Result?

Our body gets the raw resource it needs for its processes, but it now lacks the elements that determine what to do with that resource. The delicate balance that our system requires is literally thrown out of whack.

Another consideration is that electrolytes work in balance with each other.

One way to ensure good electrolyte levels is by our choice of foods.

For example, orange juice and bananas are good items. Tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail are also very good. But, when travelling in hot weather for many hours, keeping perishable food items at a reasonable temperature is often difficult.

This is where the convenience of an electrolyte capsule can't be beat.

This is where the convenience of an electrolyte capsule can't be beat.

Keeping hydrated on the road is one of the most important things you can do as a rider. Judgement, skill, coordination, thinking and balance are all affected when your body becomes dehydrated. I once had a serious crash because of dehydration and it taught me a valuable lesson.

I hope this has been helpful for you to read as a rider.

Come see us at the store anytime and write us with any questions you may have.

Ride on!

Josh Dirnfeld

[Phxbuller]

Wow, long read. But great information. I will take it into account. I know the Arizona heat here in Phoenix can be almost unbearable at times. Thxs for the tip Doc.

[Miami78]

Good info, heat here in Vegas is pretty intense this time of year. In a week and a half I'm planning on taking a 1700 mile ride from Vegas to the Rockies and back over 3 days, so this is all very relative to me...thanks for posting it.